Simulation of bubble motion in acoustic cavitation

Abstract

The motion of cavitation bubbles in an acoustic field is investigated both experimentally and numerically. To simulate the experimental results, a particle approach is employed which calculates the trajectories of many individual bubbles. For this purpose, added mass, drag, and Bjerknes forces are considered, and nucleation and coalescence of bubbles are modeled. Though the particle model is based on simplifying assumptions, it can reproduce different cavitation structure types observed in experiments. [Work partially supported by ‘‘Graduiertenkolleg Strömungsinstabilität und Turbulenz.’’]